giving myself an UL life

Sounds good. Just do it and enjoy doing it.

Sounds like a lot of fun!

Pretty awesome to have a goal like that. I can't say I've been in the military or anything like that, but I know what it's like to look back and think "man, I used to be in such good shape." (I find myself looking back at the end of my AT hike quite often. I need to stop that.) Best of luck to you with reaching the goal of the 5k and beyond!

Right on! More power to you and keep up the goal, the end result will come faster with consistency.

Hi Mike,

Try reading "Lighten Your Heaviest Gear: You!". It is an article on the BPL website by Jeremy Pendrey in Techniques & Best Practices. Start out by clicking articles and then click techniques in the drop down menu. When the page opens click on the article itself. It should be the first article on the top left of the page.

In a nutshell Jeremy asks you to look at what you put into your body as food the same way you look at the weight of the gear that you put into your pack.

I myself am in a battle with Dunlap's disease. My belly has "dunlapped" over my belt buckle. :-)

Good luck with lightening the load.

OoRah!

Party On ! 2010

Newton

How I Did It (down 40 lb and maintaining)

1) Try to walk everyday – at least 20 minutes and up to 90 minutes when possible.

2) Eat less. Minimize white flour, sugar, etc. Your mind will do everything in its power to defeat your weight loss. Plenty of scientific research says so. You have to really change your brain. This is why so many people lose weight only to put it back on with more pounds. Being aware of this helps. But for some it is literally impossible.

3) On backpacking trips: go with as light a pack as you can live with so you can walk longer. Walk from dawn to dust. Walk in the cold. Rain. Snow. Heat. Not just nice weather. Walk in dark. Those long walks really help your brain change. (See 2)

4) Work on your core. You feel better. You become aware of a couple of extra pounds trying to slip in.

Note: Even if you don't drop weight, you'll be fitter. Research shows that there are many fat but fit people who are very healthy. And plenty of lean but unhealthy people.

i am a big guy. i wasn't terribly out of shape. i ran every day, a 14 mile hike with a couple thousand feet of elevation gain wasn't to taxing, etc…but i was still 265. i decided toward the end of the last hiking season i wanted to loose 40 lbs before next season. i basically run more…6 miles a day instead of 3. i also watch my food closer. i do some of the things mentioned above. i now weigh about 233. it does feel like i have hit a wall. i.e. i am going to have to eat even less or run even more…

i am planning on running a marathon in october so hopefully having that goal will supplement getting me to my original goal.

Go vegetarian. Drop dairy whenever possible. Cancel cable. Good luck.

@Beartooth T re: "i am going to have to eat even less or run even more"

Based on what I know about weight and fitness, I'd say you are fine.

One of my bro-in-laws is way overweight according to the BMI. But he lifted weights most of his life. He's in fantastic shape. Dropping pounds is not the priority IMO in all cases.

Get your cholesterol checked if you don't know it. Blood pressure, sugar, too.

IMO: As long as your BP, cholesterol, etc is within normal range, then you're okay.

that was some of my motivation. a family history of Type II and my own labs showing 99 fasting sugar at 265. at 233 my fasting sugar level is 83.

I had a physical in August and expected to need to change many things. Surprisingly my blood pressure was normal and so was cholesterol. All I was told to do is exercise more to raise one of the cholesterol types.

I'm very good at messing with myself and thinking I'm way worse than what I really am. So now I'm going to start some interval training so I can get my body ready to start running. If I lose weight then that's cool. If not I will at least get fitter.

I just had a brilliant idea. I'm going to get some used cross country skis. There are a lot of trails around my area. At least 4 within a 10 minute drive. According to my knowledge I believe skiing is one of the best workouts. It sounds like a fun way to enjoy winter.

> I'm going to get some used cross country skis

Skating uphill for an hour or two can be a bit extreme …
Been there, tried that :-)

Cheers

Lighten your gear one piece at a time according to what works for your-use this BB as a superb starting point.
My other suggestion for transforming yourself….

P90X.You can sometimes find the set on craigslist for a lot less than new but then agin new isn't that bad of a price either.

Have fun!

Roger that does not sound very easy. When I was in the marines I went through a scout skier course in the sierras. When it started we got in a chopper and flew a ways into the mountains. I thought I had it easy since the rest of the company had to hike in. I quickly realized I was wrong. It was a demanding course for only being a week long. I will never forget the pain I felt while pulling a pulk up the steep areas. I will also never forget the breathtaking scenery.

I'm nowhere near my fitness level during that course. I think optimistically though. I was there once so I know I can do it again.

Patrick I replaced something tonight. The weight difference feels decent. Instead of my canister stove I now have a cat food can stove. Now I need a lighter pot for it. I'm looking at a beer can pot since its light and cheap.

I have heard of that P90x program so I think I will look into it.

Mike,

You can check out the designs and features of beer can cooking pots by going to the address below.

http://minibulldesign.com

Tinny can sell you what you like and his on line videos show you how to make your own. Be careful that your can (pot) is not too small in diameter for your new stove. It's like choosing a certain size burner and pot combination on your cooktop in your home kitchen.

I think it was Toby Kieth that said, "I'm not as good as I once was but I'm as good once as I ever was." :-)

Good luck with lightening the load.

Party On ! 2010

Newton

Thanks for the link!

I noticed last night when I tested my stove that my pot needs to be fairly wide at the base. I just used one of my stainless pots to test it out. I put in 2 1/2 cups of water into the pot and 1oz of alcohol into the stove. There was enough fuel to bring the water to a boil and hold it there for a few minutes. Here is some pictures of the test run. I wanted to show the flames but my hands are not very steady so the first two are blurry.

John did you remove the top of the can without opening it so you had a solid lid?

Yes, used a grocery store "safety can opener", then poured the brew into a cold mug.

Awesome I have one of those can openers. All I need is the beer. I know if I buy a can of Fosters my step-dad will give me crap. He tells me no self respecting Aussie will drink that stuff. Too bad I can't get Carlton Draught in MN.